


Somehow

by postmanlink



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Genre: F/M, Gen, Light Angst, just that he deeply cares about her is all, there's some hildavio it's just that it's not too romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 05:10:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11373243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postmanlink/pseuds/postmanlink
Summary: He would bring back the girl he had once known – the girl with a powerful drive and righteous eyes. The girl who, despite Lorule, had hope for the future. He would bring Hilda back.





	Somehow

**Author's Note:**

> Who would have thought I was able to write something other than Zelink?
> 
> So I'm playing ALTTP (it's pretty neat) and it put me into an ALBW mood. More precisely, a Hildavio mood, although this isn't really Hildavio as much as it is Ravio's perspective on the backstory of the game. Either way, I love them and this game, so this happened. Enjoy.

He was but a mere servant, but that had never stopped the Princess from treating him as an equal.

While the few other nobles in the decadent court of Lorule would rather be dead than to mingle with some merchant, the Princess was more often than not delighted to take him on strolls around the castle, where he would learn more about her than anyone else in the kingdom –  _a privilege_ , he would say in his joking-yet-so-very-truthful manner. She was determined and smart, he had come to learn, though he sometimes – in bouts of uncharacteristic boldness – thought of her as not particularly wise. 

But that was okay, she was barely older than him, and a fair ruler nonetheless – who was he to judge, as a coward with no power to spare?

And yet somehow, Ravio had become the Princess of Lorule’s closest and most faithful companion.

* * *

The Princess was young, however, and needed someone to guide her through the delightful intricacies of politics.  _An actual advisor_ , the court remarked in their perceived superiority,  _not some boy with no spine_. Many offered themselves to the job, to his surprise – who would want to rule Lorule? – but the Princess boldly denied them all, claiming that not only were they in no position to judge her friend, but also that she knew them all too well to know their intentions weren’t as noble as hers.

And yet somehow, she couldn’t see what he saw in the eyes of the last man to come.

He had entered the throne room in a slow stride, sneering at the presence of every single person but the Princess. She was known – to Ravio’s admiring eyes, at least – to have a powerful drive that overshadowed everyone else’s in Lorule, but the man that went by the name of Yuga seemed more than able to rival her in that aspect.

Yuga had come with a speech of prosperity – a word that had lost its meaning to the kingdom long before – and mirrored, in almost disturbing unison, what Ravio had heard so many times in his daily strolls with the Princess. In spite of the daggers in the man’s eyes, all that she could see in them was hope.

And somehow, Yuga became the Princess’s loyal advisor and confidant.

* * *

Much to Ravio’s dismay, the Princess would now spend most of the time in her office, cooped up with the man with daggers in his eyes as he supposedly taught her how to save a disgraced place.

Sometimes, when she would finally leave the tower, she and Ravio would cross paths. In a few of those rare occasions, they would even stop to talk – but now, she didn’t smile as often, or act all that interested in his musings, and there was something, just  _something_  about her eyes that wouldn’t leave his thoughts. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it gave him an uneasy feeling in his stomach nonetheless – one that felt much different from what her laughter would give him back when they were closer and he could almost entertain the idea of affection.

Ravio would now take his strolls around the castle without the Princess, but even those came to an end a short time later. He wouldn’t see her, nor her decaying kingdom anymore if he stayed in his place and shut himself away from all of it.

Because somehow, he preferred to not see at all what he cherished so much than to see them fall from grace.

* * *

Ravio had heard everything.

His head was spinning, his heart was heavy, and his scarf, while loose, felt constricting. His mind desperately tried to deny what his ears had heard –  _a crack in the Sacred Realm, another Triforce, Hyrule, Courage, Wisdom, Power—_

A creak came from the door, and from behind it came the Princess of Lorule herself.

“ _What are you doing here?_ ”

But he didn’t reply.

His face was pale, his body was shaking and his legs felt like they could give out at any moment, but he ran. Down the stairs, out of the castle and into the eroding fields.

But before he ran away, he looked into her eyes for a moment – and somehow, he couldn’t tell if it was truly Hilda staring back.

* * *

His old house was a mess. Not that it hadn’t been before, but now any possible entrances were barricaded and everything was strewn across the floor. It smelled unused, and dust tainted the air as he frantically kept searching for anything he could find for his journey. Not that he could really call it one, anyway – journeys were for heroes, and he was but a coward.

_She wants to do the right thing. I want to help her. But leaving is the only option._

A few nights before, after finally calming down with the help of his beloved bird, he had come to a realization. He was no hero, that he had known since forever – but nothing was stopping him from  _finding_  one. After all, Hyrule still had Courage, did it not?

And his bracelet, while old and weakened, still had some power left in it… though maybe not enough to come back. The thought sent shivers down his spine – Lorule was decadent and corrupted, yes, but it was still home. It was still his kingdom, his and  _Hilda’s_  kingdom, even if Lorule worsened by the second and dragged the Princess down with it.

_She’s being duped. Doesn’t she realize that? He’s just a leech. There’s no choice but to go._

Despite not leaving until the next morning, the feeling of longing was already brewing in his chest. Not that it was unfamiliar to him, not at all – he hadn’t known any different ever since Yuga had arrived.

Ravio already missed too much, but he wouldn’t let it overshadow his glimmer of determination. He wouldn’t let his emotions foil his plan, not when he thought – in a bout of uncharacteristic boldness, though those were by now anything but – that he could stop such magnificent disaster from taking place. Not when he thought that he could stop her from turning into what she loathed the most.

He would bring back the girl he had once known – the girl with a powerful drive and righteous eyes. The girl who, despite Lorule, had hope for the future. He would bring Hilda back. 

 _Tomorrow must be the day. I may never see her again, but I vow to save her from all of this_.

And in spite of all odds and his utmost fears, somehow, he knew he would.


End file.
